On the Macclesfield

Monday 1 September. 2 ½ miles

Back up to Tunstall (10 min) to try and other supermarket for the bits we didn't get yesterday. Lunch on the boat then headed south and turned up the Caldon canal, filled with water, turned around then walked to Emma Bridgewater pottery, From there we went to the centre of Hanley. Had to have diner in the Reginald Mitchell pub. If you have an interest in aviation history you will know who he was, if not it doesn't matter.

Tuesday 2 September. Nil

Into Hanley to the Potteries museum. Spent a good 3 hours looking at the history, process and a large collection of pottery artefacts. Probably the best collection we have seen. There was a Reginald Mitchell gallery with a spitfire under restoration. A quick look through a large shopping centre then back to the boat.

Outside the Museum

Inside the Museum

Model of a Bottle kiln

Wednesday 3 September. 2 ½ miles.

Set off north heading for home. Stopped for water, visited the Royal Dalton and Wedgwood factory shop, a revisit to Burleigh shop, bought some diesel and moored up for the night.

Thursday 4 September. 3 miles, 1 tunnel.

A short run to the south portal of the Harecastle tunnel where we left the boat and walked to Churchill pottery factory shop, last one! Didn't stay long before walking back to the boat and then through the tunnel. The other times I have been through I was the lead boat, this time I was number 2 in behind a very slow boat so it was idle most of the way and even into neutral several times so I didn't run into him. We were in the tunnel for an hour. Normal time is 35 to 45 min. In the past I did it in 30. we are now on the Macclesfield canal, new territory for us.

Boats leaving the south end of th Harecastle